Xintong Yang

In vivo testing 4.5

Exploiting iron metabolism for antimicrobial strategies

All life on earth, including prokaryotic organisms such as bacteria, is highly dependent on iron. Bacteria obtain this iron by sequestering it from their environment, and as consequence one of the host defence mechanisms includes limitation of iron supply.

As part of this research project, new approaches for targeting bacterial infections will be explored, including those that interfere with bacterial iron turnover. This could for example be achieved by using bacterial iron-binding proteins as Trojan horses for drug targeting and imaging, or by combining conventional treatment with limiting iron supply using a chelation approach.